Chapter 131

Aden said nothing more as they strode quickly to Ilyin’s door. With every step, his worry seemed to grow. He had seen the Everlasting Fire wink out in the valley just as he’d arrived. That meant the person who’d been maintaining it had run out of strength.

It took his whole will to be patient when they reached the door. He wanted to burst through and rush to Ilyin, but Etra interposed herself. She was correct, of course – Ilyin would certainly be in a weakened state, and a shock was the last thing she needed.

Etra listened for a second at the door, then cracked it just enough to see inside.

“I believe all is well,” she said.  “She is sleeping.”

Aden felt a deep sigh escape him, and his whole body seemed to relax. He waved Etra back toward the stairs.”

“Return to Idith,” he said. “You can update each other while you help clear the battlefield.”

He trusted her and Idith to sort out everything at Elo. He had no more reason to be there, with the Yesters vanquished. He only needed to be here. Cautiously, he pushed the door open wider and entered the bedroom.

The room was warm, as always. Even though Ilyin had adapted somewhat to the cold, she was still a child of the warm region. The cold would never be welcome in this room.

The scent of her filled the air – a strong, green smell, like spring. Like the warm region. It felt intoxicating, and Aden’s head seemed to spin.

Such a powerful, lively scent, and yet she still seemed so fragile to him.

Ilyin lay on the bed, her hand still clutching Delrose’s divine object. Around her had been stacked pillows and blankets. Brought in by the Delrose maids to make her comfortable, no doubt. And they had scrounged what reminders of the warm region they could bring in and surrounded the bed. He had ordered them to do so when Ilyin first arrived, and they seem to have sensed the more urgent need today.

They love her, he thought. As she loves all of them.

He had been so insistent in the beginning that her room was kept warm, that it be filled with reminders of the warm region. He’d feared she would miss it too much, though it had since seemed that she didn’t have fond memories of the warm region.

Still, the winter region was a desolate place, unfriendly to life. He had always been afraid it would leave her longing and lonely without signs of the warm region at hand.

Now, she lay on the bed, buried in soft pillows and blankets, a soft smile on her face. He approached her quietly, almost afraid to disturb her. And while he had no need of the warm blankets that shrouded her, the contentment on her face made him feel a strange pang of jealousy all the same.

He reached out and gently pushed down on the pillow beside her, careful not to wake her. It felt soft as mist under his hand, and it and the fur blanket that lay over Ilyin were as white as the blanket of snow outside.

Ilyin lay on her right side. The blanket came up to her chin, with only her head and her right hand – still clutching the Delrose necklace, exposed.

Her long, silver hair spread out across the pillows like a halo. Everything seemed to be shades of white and silver, except for her cheeks that were still flushed red. Still as she was, Aden thought the scene could be a painting. A particularly beautiful painting.

He didn’t try to sit beside her. He didn’t want to disturb her, for one, but he also simply didn’t like the feel of soft things. They were unfamiliar to him.

He’d never needed thick blankets – he’d been able to control the cold since he was young. Even in his clothes, comfort had been an afterthought. They had always been made for freedom of movement, but also for show – thin clothing was a simple way to display his power, to remind the people of the mansion, even subconsciously, who they served.

The Duke of Winter.

The man with the divine power. The man who controls the cold, who rules the winter region.

The hand he’d placed on the pillow drifted toward Ilyin, almost of its own accord. Even her breath washing over his hand felt soft, delicate. The blanket barely moved with her breath, even in deep sleep.

He started to touch her cheek but caught himself. He was fresh from the outside, and his hand still carried the cold.

But just then Ilyin moved for him. The hand that extended from the blanket shifted and covered his.

“Aden,” she whispered. She smiled, her eyes fluttered for just a second, then settled closed again.

Sleeping deeply. Aden remembered the quiet hallway on the 7th floor. It was only that quiet for her, only when Ilyin was sleeping. All the same, he knew the doctor, Vas, would appear in an instant if something was wrong. So many of them would.

He wanted to be angry at her for taking such risk. I can’t live without you, he thought. I have no fear of monsters or the cold, but I can’t live without you. Neither can Delrose.